The copending patent application captioned above describes a graphical user interface for a machine having a screen display. A significant feature of the interface is that it provides the means for hand drawn entry of on-screen objects which may be associated with functions, files, connections, and other components of a system that the user may thus construct on-screen to carry out the user's desired purpose, whatever it may be. A salient aspect of this interface is the ability to carry out this programming using hand drawn screen objects that may be entered without reference to layers, thus overcoming the need for prior art systems to use multiple layers or windows to accomplish a similar purpose. Furthermore, the objects of this invention may be drawn in such a manner that multiple graphics layers will not inhibit the operation(s), function(s), etc. of one or more such hand drawn graphic objects.
An important feature of the hand drawn user interface is the use of arrow logics to carry out transactions between, from, and among the on-screen objects. Arrow logics involve the hand drawing of arrows between one or more other objects residing on any number of layers—the arrows each conveying a specific transaction relating to one or more of the on-screen objects. The software system carries out recognition of each arrow and also determines which on-screen object(s) is within a default distance to the head, tail, and line of each arrow to associate the transaction conveyed by the arrow with the appropriate on-screen object(s). Note that arrow logics may be applied not only to lines having arrow heads, but to other objects, such as lines or various solid objects, i.e., a long thin rectangle, etc.